Conventional disposable absorbent drapes or pads used in medical and surgical procedures are often comprised of a plurality of absorbent and impermeable material layers joined mechanically to produce a sterile mat of given geometry. These mats are placed upon medical carts to establish a sterile work platform upon which surgical, endoscopic and other medical instruments may be placed upon, beneath the patient procedure zone, to contain wastes emanating from the procedure due to gravitational flow from the patient's body, and on other such areas in the procedural region to allow for capture of waste or the establishment of a sterile work surface.
With regards to a conventional absorbent drape, once the procedure is complete, the equipment involved in the procedure, which is now contaminated, is removed from the area by medical personnel. The equipment may be placed in a separate container for transport or left exposed to the environment and carried to a decontamination/sterilization area for preparation in the next procedural use. The absorbent disposable drapes used in the procedure are gathered by medical personnel and placed in containers or receptacles for proper disposal of biohazard materials.
During removal of the equipment and drapes, medical personnel may be exposed to biohazard materials deposited on the equipment and drapes. Procedures are commonly employed to reduce the level of exposure, but movement or disposal of the equipment and drapes still involves the placement of the affected articles into separate containers and transport or disposal units, and still involves exposure of medical personnel to biohazard materials deposited thereon. A combined drape and carrying bag unit has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,042,688, assigned to the applicant of the present invention, to limit medical personnel exposure to waste materials, collect all used equipment, and eliminate the need for a separate container, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
What is additionally needed in, and beneficial to, drape and carrying bag units is a means of informing medical personnel of the contents of the bag once it has been closed, without the need of re-opening or looking inside the bag. Therefore, what is needed is an integrated labeling or identifying means that would become visible only after the procedure has been completed and the drape and carrying bag unit has been changed to its carrying bag configuration. Such an identifying means would inform medical personnel if the bag contains biohazard waste, used medical and/or surgical instruments, or some other post-procedural byproduct.